| Many people may think of Honduras and recall | | | | |
| a memory from 7th grade that involves a map | | | | Similar to the cigars made in the Dominican |
| of Central America, a pop quiz, and a prayer. | | | | Republic, some Honduras tobacco has Cuban |
| For the avid cigar smoker, however, Honduras | | | | roots, with many tobacco growers fleeing |
| is thought of as much more. One of the | | | | Castro's rule and planting themselves, and |
| biggest tobacco producers on our planet, | | | | their seeds, in other countries. In fact, the |
| cigar lovers think of Honduras as a virtual | | | | early 1960's saw expert cigar makers come |
| Mecca, a place where tobacco seeds go to make | | | | over to Honduras from Havana, with approval |
| their parents proud. | | | | from Castro's government, to help with |
| | | | tobacco growing techniques. While initially |
| Honduras, located near Guatemala, El | | | | intending to return to Cuba, some of these |
| Salvador, and Nicaragua, is a country made up | | | | experts remained in Honduras, keeping with |
| of an instable history, one that involved | | | | them their knowledge from Cuba's tobacco past |
| fights for independence, hurricane | | | | and the tools for Honduras' tobacco future. |
| devastation, human rights violations, and | | | | |
| political diversity. Together these have all | | | | The climate of Honduras is extremely |
| caused Honduras to be among the poorest | | | | appealing to tobacco growers, with an |
| countries in Central America. But, unlike | | | | environment that allows all varieties of |
| some of its adjacent countries, Honduras is | | | | tobacco seeds to thrive, particularly Cuban |
| rich with cigar making ingredients: when | | | | seed tobaccos and Connecticut seed tobaccos. |
| Central American neighbors want to borrow a | | | | This growing environment ultimately allows |
| cup of tobacco, the door of Honduras is one | | | | the tobacco grown in Honduras to be |
| of the first places they knock. | | | | full-bodied, flavorful, strong, and in |
| | | | possession of a heavy aroma. |
| Honduras is a segment of Mesoamerica, the | | | | |
| nickname given to the land that reaches from | | | | The cigars from Honduras have worked to make |
| Mexico to Costa Rica. Because Mesoamerica is | | | | a name for themselves, becoming a cigar that |
| located in an area home to a wide range of | | | | connoisseurs routinely seek to take out for a |
| animals and plants, it's known as a | | | | smoke. With the fertility of the land, the |
| biodiversity hotspot, an area with diverse | | | | natural resources, and the knowledge passed |
| resources that are threatened by destruction. | | | | down from generation to generation, tobacco |
| At last count, Honduras was in possession of | | | | makers in Honduras have been able to perfect |
| over 6,000 species of plant, with one of | | | | the growing of home grown seeds, delivering |
| these being tobacco. | | | | cigars that are 100 percent Honduran. |